🎭 Year 11 Drama
On Thursday the 21st of August the Year 11 Drama class enjoyed a sunshine stroll across the Yarra in Melbourne to attend ‘Trophy Boys’ at the Arts Centre.
The show has given them plenty to write about for their upcoming performance analysis task. The Fairfax Studio under the spire was packed and the performance delivered lots of laughs as well as hard hitting prompts for reflection.
About the show (from Arts Centre Melbourne):
“It is the biggest night of Melbourne's academic calendar, the Grand Finale of the Year 12 Interschool Debating Tournament and the all-boys team from the elite St Imperium College are ready to totally annihilate their sister school – until…
Performed by a female and non-binary cast in drag, the show unfolds in real time as the boys are locked in a classroom for their one-hour prep window and forced to argue that "feminism has failed women".
This riotously funny satire looks at insecure adolescent masculinity, entitlement and the ego of Australia's next generation of politicians and powerbrokers.”
On the back wall of the set were a series of pictures of powerful women who have appeared in the media. Mrs Quick was proud of the class’s ability to name these key figures prior to the show commencing; some still have some homework to do!
Student Reflections
Here’s what some of our students shared on the train ride home:
Rutherford:
“‘Trophy Boys’, was heavily educational in displaying the fragile masculinities and disturbing attitudes and actions of modern-day teenage boys and their morals and beliefs. Involving the manipulation of a situation, the guilty consciousnesses and uncertainty of the characters Jared, David, Scott and Owen. I found it enjoyable to watch and enjoyable to laugh at.”
Adrienne:
“Wow it was pretty sick and funny, two thumbs up.”
Anonymous:
“I LOVE WOMEN!!!!”- The actor who played as Jared!!!
Jessie:
“I really enjoyed this performance and found it very funny and it definitely got its point across. 10/10 would see again. I loved the dance sequence at the start, great song."
Jasper:
“The show was actually surprisingly funny, very blunt, unapologetic and definitely worth missing maths class for!”
Banjo:
“I really enjoyed it and would absolutely go again if given the chance. The beginning is hilarious but then delves into deeper and more intense themes. All in all, great performance!”
Kherington:
“Beneath its glamorous surface, Trophy Boys is a haunting exploration of the fragile egos built on validation and the quiet desperation behind curated perfection. Staged with unrelenting pace and palpable tension, the play blurs authenticity and artifice in a way that implicates both the characters and the audience.”
Mrs Quick also appreciated the students’ insightful reflections on the play’s deliberate ambiguities and the social and political commentary embedded throughout.
Mrs Quick also appreciated the consideration and reflection in response to her questions about some of the plays deliberate ambiguities. Students had great insight into the social and political commentary made in the show.
It was a fantastic learning experience and best of all FUN!
If you can get along to see this one, you won’t be disappointed.
Trophy Boys Accolades
Winner: Best New Work (Sydney Theatre Awards 2024)
Multiple Greenroom Awards Nominations (2024) including Best Production, Best New Writing, Best Director (Marni Mount), Best Performer (Gaby Seow)
Described by Time Out as “truly a joy to watch.”
Jessica Quick
Drama Teacher